Low-power electronic equipment, such as light-emitting diode (LED) commonly uses to achieve a free-suspension connection of wire to wire by an electrical connector.
FIGS. 1-3 shows a conventional low-power electrical connector, which has a plug connector 10 and a receptacle connector 20. The plug connector 10 includes a first housing 11, two first terminals 12 extending from the first housing 11, and a first locking member 13 disposed between the two first terminals. Similarly, the receptacle connector 20 includes a second housing 21, two second terminals extending from the second housing 21, and a second locking member disposed between the second terminals. Such electrical connector is commonly used in outdoor LED illumination devices for supplying power supply and/or communicating signal to the electronic equipment. Such electrical connector is applicable to a single LED illumination device and is arranged in a thin, single row to achieve a free-suspension connection of wire to wire, and has low power and good sealing performance. Generally, such electrical connector has a thickness of about 6.5 mm, a width of about 14.5 mm, and a total connected length of about 50 mm.
The first terminals 11 may be electrically connected to the second terminals by inserting the plug connector 10 into the receptacle connector 20 while the first locking member 13 of the plug connector is engaged with the second locking member of the receptacle connector 20 so as to lock the plug connector 10 and the receptacle connector together 20. After being locked, such electrical connector has a high retaining force and meets the requirement of waterproof grade of IP67.
However, since the locking member 13 is disposed between two terminals, the total width of the electrical connector is increased. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when two wires 14 having double-insulating layers are connected to the two terminals, longer wires 14 are necessary and need to be peeled, and ends of the two wires 14 exposed outside are separated, thus reducing the waterproof performance between the two insulating layers. This often leads to corrosive failure of the conventional electrical connector.
Therefore a need exists for an electrical connector that is smaller in size than the conventional electrical connector, and also has improved sealing performance.